Why do ISPs offer very little upstream bandwidth?

towel401

ADSL has a maximum upstream limit of 1mbit, yet even on the packages that cost 160 eur a month they will only give you 512.

Cable companies do the same so it is hardly the fault of the technology they are using unless its a mobile broadband/satellite thing. When I download it uses about 20-50% of my upstream bandwidth. so if i'm using voip or hosting any sort of game server it slows things down. and when someone downloads a big file off my webserver all my downloads and everything else slows down.

but why the hell do they do it? why can't I get a 3mbit/1mbit package for a reasonable price? I'm dreading the day that Eircon go around pushing up all the downstream speeds in order to crush some little competitor that has come along and I have to find a way to artificially degrade the quality of the line for a few seconds so it connects at a lower speed.

JNive

you can get 4mbps/1mbps from Magnet if you can convince them that your line is good enough quality.

Upload speeds are restricted to reduce abuse, file sharing, commercial use, and general bandwidth costs, also it is done to allow them to charge a premium for the business and symmetrical packages

watty

If the up and down was the same you would get less downstream, as total is fixed.
asdl: the "a" is asymmetric

Typing and mouse clicking only needs about 40bps, never mind 400kbps.

Even offering as much as 128kbps is so as uploads and email sending is not too slow. A "Form Post" on webpage dowsn't need as much speed.

If a system could support 5Mbps down and 1Mbps up, on a simplistic level it could only support 3Mbps symmetrical on DSL.

Cable systems and Wireless systems inherently have a weaker return path (for slightly different reasons). So reducing the upstream data speed to a fraction of the downstream speed gives both directions the same cable distance limit or RF path distance.

HSUPA version of HSDPA will eat battery amazingly, about 10 times faster than 64kBps upstream as much more handset power is needed. Range may be poorer too.

thegills

The cost of the CPE is a major fact as it's the device that uploads. In saying that IBB have no problem offering 2Mb upload on the Breeze kit.

Cabaal

Cost is a factor but in fairness the vast majority of end users don't need as much upstream as downstream so why bother providing it, anyone who wants it will get a non-residential product and they'll pay the money

watty

thegills wrote:

The cost of the CPE is a major fact as it's the device that uploads. In saying that IBB have no problem offering 2Mb upload on the Breeze kit.

It's a big mains powered kit adapted from Fixed Wireless Ethernet Point to Point to Point to Multipoint. So Customer TX power not a huge issue compared with a handheld. Also the reliable range of Breeze is about what a 1/4 it would be if a normal asymmetrical architecture was used. You'll find much less contention on Breeze upload than on its download proving that on average the cable/aDSL balance is better use of resource. If Breeze upload was 1/4 at same range, then there could be less download contention. But it can't be changed.

As a result it isn't very efficent in numbers of users for the spectrum. It uses basically the same bandwidth upstream as downstream. Cable can use only 60MHz maximum upstream (typically 12MHz) but up to 700MHz downstream (shared with TV channels though).

Marlow

thegills wrote:

In saying that IBB have no problem offering 2Mb upload on the Breeze kit.

IBB Breeze kit is a half duplex connection using a 22 MHz wide band, that in theory is capable of transmitting up to aprrox. 20 mbit tcp (total) in a point to point configuration. As it's point to multipoint, they can essentially sell it to 10 customers for keeping it uncontended and once they go over that, the customers will get contended at radiolevel already.

Now, I'm not sure, what way they enforce it, but basically they could just be selling you 2 mbit (like a leased line) and it's up to you, what way you go. If you use 1 mbit down, there'll only be 1 mbit left for other stuff (up for example).

/Martin